Device for anchoring screws and nails in wall cavities



July; 21,1926. s Y 1,5929z?.6v

. ln.15. POIRIER DEVICE FOR ANCHORING SCREWS AND NAILS IN WALL CAVITIES Filed Nov. 9. 1921 Patented July 27, 1926.

' yfaanffEUGivE'ronisngor rams, Fanion.

i nnvon RIA'NGHORING: 'semiws AND NVAInsIN WALLcAv'rrIns.`

Application meugupvember 9, 19e-1, serial No'.4 514,089; and inrranee June 1e, um.

i Ilithemc'*the4 means employed foriiXi-ng ,f any obj' ect Ior `article of Weight to a Wall, a ceiling, 0r-to the ground, have been very varied," and numerousfpsyst'ems exist which have givenresults` which are little in accordance them.l y Y The ydevices heretofore v`ennoloyed have beenl either unnecessarilycomplicated, or inefficienty and ap-tto f ieiz'ert ,d'estri'ictive "effects f on the Wall i'nivhich theyl'areginserted, The difficulties l'en'counter-'ed have been ii'v'artcularlyy acutey in the case; 'ofplurs forulse on light and: relatively/thin"partition Walls ofplaster 'andsimilar composition iin/modern building'. In V'many casesvvhererigidityis necessary it has been customary to 'set thev plug in' abodyof molten lead or 'sulphur poured into the containingr cavityand allowed to harden aroundL it` but this has ine" volved costly; 'and complicated operations.

`When itwas desired to provi-de va-ba'se into which ordinary nails or Wood screws could be insertedgsiinpleivvooden plugs Yhave been driven and wedged `into cavities 1n' the Wall of masonry,4 4but these lhavebeen unsightly,l

insecure'andoftenJ destructive' inv their ac- 1 i ingr* suchl Vdriving;operatin; parts'- vbeiner;

brolren-aw'ayf n i V Throughout the drawings," like@ reference 'Y' characters' indicate like-parts.- 1 represents tionon-thewall. y y v u The present invention overcomesV these dillicultiesvand supplies a simple standard? i ized formv of composite plugcwhich, with certain necessary changesin dimensions and materials of manufacture, forms a-neatap. peering and" ysatisfaj'ctory base by which nails` screWs,-ho'ol-`s, bolts, etc., ycanfbe firmly fastened to `any 'being easily insertedin thewal'l cavity,y containingthe wedge memberand .being 'sulficiently expanded by said Wedge,V4 upon the application of a comparatively small amount of inward `dri'vingforce tothe composite plug formed by,` assemblingthe two above described elements of the fcombinatiom to completely and tightly fill said Wallrecess or cavity and key the `Wedg ememloer, firmly thereim with the advantages lclaimed for formof masonry whether it Vj is the thin'plasterpartiticnlfwalls' of a l'oW-ev y priced house or apartment, o'r solid stone While the invention 'isfemployedwinvari- I.

lo'u's speeial forms to mjeet special'conditions and r.equi'rements` ofjusegftlie best 'formi of drawings in Which.,y

il" is.l an -axial cross-'section of the;v

sleevebefore use. Y i v v Figi 2 v1s a bottom v fie'v'v ofthe same, Y Flin-3 Isa 'side View of one form of'iveidge member illustrating different' angles-'yoffin clination of' the Wedge y 4ew1sfan"aXial crossfsect'lon `ofthe sleeve andv 'an i-nsertedvedge.assembled in position theoretically assumed during'v use,

and illustratingdifferent forms of slotiii said sleeve;` y 1 Fig. 5 is side feleyation ofthe sleeve. i Fig'. 6 is a simila-rviewfof a `slightly modiliedfform' of sleeve.I f i f i 1 v v Figf'is an-aXialse'ct-ion .of a plugin use` Darts being` brokenV arvay,k shoviz'ig;P4 actual" deformation" resultingfrom'ftlie forceA exertedl in vdrivingvit intofi'nal' fpeositiion in4v the" Wall recess, and',4

- Figgrx'sfis "a aeeaiviewef-a teorici @1aed-g 2@generally the sleeve or sheath which is made of" some-slightly plastic" material, such" as lead, orqantalloy -orcomposition vl'iicliWill undergo the desired deformation onv appli; cation of" reasonable pressurefor forcingfit into the wallcavityQlsee Figi;-V 7).,A Pret# erably n the exterior'"Qdofl this sleeve a i f l slight but, uniform 'taper from "its tinck Walled end 17, to' its thintva'lled en'dffl, as i y shown in Figsi 1 2; 4f', 5i and 6;' Thelimits of .suchtaper used: inl practice have been-so theais of the'sleeve.` The interior ybore 11i Ward the `s'nialler and th"1n-Walled end of? i at said end. The ,anglen '0f' flare isp're'fe'r'-4 ably such that 'the interior surface thereofv is l inclined ata-n angle of fromto 7 degrees slit"atfione orme y Y coinclding'l` with theafXis" ofl the, sleeve;7

These" slits may gdA all 'the' Wayv` throught' the wall as shown at 23, Fig. 4, or nearly through as shown at 22. 11 of the bore of the sleeve may be cylindrical until it reaches the end wall 13 which closes that end of the sleeve, except for the central perforation 15 in said wall 13. The bore 11 should preferably merge into the in ner surface of the wall 13 by curve 12, and the outer surface 17 ofsaid end wall should similarly merge into the outer surface 24 of side walls 14 by curve 1S.

lf desired the eXpansibilit-y of the thinwalled end of the sleeve 1 may possibly be increased by forming a circumferential groove in its exterior as shown in Fig. 6.

The second element of my composite wall plug is the wedge or base 3 preferably made in the form of a truncated cone as shown in Figs. 4 and 7, the base of which is of a diameter sutlicient to nearly, but not quite,

lill the bottom of the cavity 2 formed in wall This wedge is shown in the drawings as made. of cork or wood to receive and hold the ordinary wood screw 16, there illustrated as holding the plate 5 against the surface of wall 6. The coned surface preferably has an inclination to the axis of the cone of from 7 to 10 degrees according to the hardness of the material of which it is composed. ln Fig. 3 the left hand half 19 is intended to illustrate an inclination of 7 degrees, and the right hand half 20, an inclination of 8 degrees in such wedge surface.

ln Fig. 8 l have shown a convenient tool for driving the composite plug into the wall cavity. 28 is the body of the tool having a diameter approximately equal to the external dia-meter of sleeve 1, and 29 is a central projection thereon having a diameter equal to or slightly less than the smallest diameter of perforation 15 in the end wall 13 of said sleeve.

In carrying my invention into operation the cavity 2 of substantially uniform crosssection throughout is first cut or bored in wall 6. The wedge 3 is then inserted in said cavity and the sleeve 1 forced in over it by the tool 23, 29, or the sleeve and wedge may first be assembled and inserted in the cavity as a unit. The screw 16, or other member to be attached to and supported by the wall, is then inserted through perforation l5 and forced into wedge 3 by revolving or hammering it in the usual way. Because of the difference between the inclinations of the outer surface 8 of wedge 3, and the flaring inner surface of sleeve 1 (amounting usually to about 2 degrees) the initial area of contact between the two is limited to the thin rim 4 of the sleeve end which engages the wedge at a point somewhat aboveits base. The diameter of wall cavity 2 is made equal to the exterior diameter of the larger and outer end of sleeve 1, so that while the said outer end will fit snugly into said cavity when driven The upper' portion` home, as shown in Fig. 7, t-he inner smaller end of the tapered sleeve will not initiallyV the Wedge until it snugly lits said cavity throughout. The slits 10 in said sleeve greatly facilitate this action and reduce lthe amount of driving pressure required to sek cure the above stated result. Under suitable driving pressure the slightly plastic material of the sleeve may even bend around the inner, larger end of the wedge as shown at 21 in 4, or may be thus modified and also additionally deformed as shown at 27 in F ig. 2' so as to adapt itself completely to any inequalities in the surface of the cavity walls, or even to outwardly compress the weaker surface portions of said cavity walls. In any event the ultimate area of contact'between wedge and sleeve is increased by the expansion and deformation of the latter un-` til said area includes nearly the whole of the inclined surface 8 of the wedge 3.

las a result the compositeplug formed by sleeve and wedge is yfirmly anchored in the wall cavity and when screw 16 or other similar member is driven through perforation 15 into wedge 3 it is firmly supported thereby against any lateral, external bending strains applied thereto, and when any force is applied tending to pull said lscrew out of the cavity the only result is to jam the wedge member 3 more firmly into sleeve 1, which latter is thereby further expanded and even more firmly anchored in cavity 2, so that some of the parts must rupture before any perceptible displacement can occ-ur.

Preferably the length of slots 10 is made enough less than the length of wedge 3 to insure the ultimate area. of Contact between wedge and sleeve extending beyond them,

i as shown in Figs. 4 and 7, so as to produce a water-tight seal between sleeve and wedge which will prevent moisture in the cavity from leaking out to the wall surface and also prevent external moisture from reaching the bottom of the wall cavity.

lf desired the sleeve 1 may be forced over wedge 3 and the thin. rim 4 of the inner end of said sleeve may be initially bent around the larger end of the wedge as shown at 23, when the parts are assembled before insertion in the wall cavity. In any case the sleeve 1 should preferably be of a length slightly greater than the depth of wall cavity 2 so that before the outer end lof the plug is forced into the plane of wall surface 7, the thinner portions of the sleeve walls will be upset and thickened, as shown'in Fig. 7. l

sufliciently to almost completely ill the annular space between wedge and cavity wall.

The perforation 15 in the closed end of sleeve l preferably has inwardly Haring walls; as` s'hotvii,l and the' y smallest diameter ofthis 'perforation should be 'slightly' less thantlie greatest diameter ofwscr'ew ldyfii other member to be held by the plug.' Viththe parts so proportioneehthe threadv of the screw will engage theedge of the perL foration 15 whenjthev screw is inserted therein and this will help. to force the screw into the wedge 3 when it is revolved, holds it up-v right While supports its sition, and

being'screwed into the wedge,

afl'ords tighty closure for the chamber formed by the portion of the sleeve bore not filled by wedge-3. If ythe perfora#v tion 15 had a cylindrical shape it could not 'so safely 'be made of less diameter than the screw or nail to be used, as the y force then necessary to drive ina nail might collapse the sleeve` wall 13. l

Making'the sleeve 1 of slightly-tapering.

exterior renders it easily inserted in the wall cavity 2 while" retaining la tight fit'fat they cavity mouth.l lThe curve 18 permits the 4 outer end ofthe sleeve 1 of slightlyplastic. lmaterial to 'be somewhat battered or deformed by the pressure of the driving tooly without spreading outl against the adjacent edge of wall surface 7 and thereby cracking or blistering the same.`

Plastic compositions of granulated cork, gums, resins', etc., `can rials other than woodv or cork` can be used for making the wedge member 8 shen'bolts, machine screws `or other members of special character are to ybe substituted for the ywood screw 16 shown in the particularexample L .Ha-ving described my invention, I claimt' 1. In a wall plug adapted vtobe expanded to fill a recess of substantially cylindrical forni iii` a wall, a sleeve lof slightly plasticl material having an exterior shape slightlyl tapering from a diameterv at its outer'end approximately equal to that of said recess to 'a d ameter at its innerend slightly vless than that of said recess, combined with wedgingmeans locatedinter'iorly of said entire recess when said sleeve is driven into it and over said wedging means. 2. A- structure such as set vout in claim 1,

,in which the angle of taper of said. sleeve @exterior to the axis vthereof ydoes 'notl ex-r slightly greater thanithe smallestdiameter ceed two degrees.

3. In a` wall plug adaptedlto be expanded to lill. a recess ina wall, alsleeve of slightly plastic material substantially filling said re-n cess andl liavinga flaring bore such that'its inner end isy reduced lto al thin rim, combined with a wedge located in said'flarin'g outerend after it is in final po-l the former.`

be used 'in place of` lead or soft metal for sleeve 1, and niate-V i shown vand cie a being slightly less-than the' ang-lcl'ina'tion .of the" surfaces ofi the' 'wedge tween -saidf'wedgeand sleeve 'is limitedto its axis, wherebythe'are ofinitialcontact bethe thin inner end of the latter but, when i said sleeve is drivenentirelyover said wedge, itis deformed toestablish contact therewith over substantially the entire opposing sur-` faces `of said members.

4. A structure such as set v'out in claim 3 in which the 'difference between said angles is ybetween two and five degrees.

a 5. A structure such Vas set out in claim 3 in which theywall ofy the .thin end of said l sleeve is slit along planes coinciding withits axis. f

6. A structure such as set out in claim 3, in whichthewall of the thin end of said Asleeve is slit-along planes coinciding with its axis but through; adistance .substantially less than the length of the wedge, whereby a water-tight joint is formed between said wedge and the unslitted portion of said sleevewhen'the latter is forcedl down uponl f l `7. Avconibination such as defined in claim y 1 which is designed fory use in walls made of relatively friable material', in which combinationsaid sleeveis made of soft metal and `has the outer edges of its exposed end slightly rounded, whereby, after said plug hasV been sunk in saidy recess, the exposed end of thepl'ug may be somewhat deformed under the impact vof a driving tool withoutexpanding radially v far enough to fracturelthe surrounding edges of the 'said wall recess.

8; In a wall plug, the combination of -a i lsleeve of slightly plasticmaterialclosed. at f its outerend except for a central perforation y in said fend, fof a diameter considerably less than the internal'v diameter of ysaid* sleeve, and a-,wedge'` adapted to receive.

andholdl ascrew or nail' and over which wedge the open 'end of said sleeve is adapt.

edto be forced and expanded, whereby the s wall of sa'idperfora'tion in the outer end of said sleeve is vadaptedto serve as a guide and supportgfor said vnail or screw.

' 9. A combination suchjfl as set out in'claiin 8 in which saidperforationghas van inward-l l ly flaring wall.

[8in 4which said perforation has a flaring sleeve adapted to expand the saine to fill the k1,1. A structure such asset out in claim' 8 f combined with, a screw having 'a diameter i of said perforation.

` 12'.. In a wall plug adapted to receive'land'4 hold ordinary nails and wo'odiscrews, the

combination ofl a wedge of yielding mate'-,

yrial in which said nail or screw may be eminner encl terminating in a thin rim of slightly plastic material adapted to be forced over, and expanded by, said Wedge to tightly fill any recess into which said plug 5 loosely lits before such expansion.

13. A combination such asset out in claim 12 liri which said sleeve has its outer end closed except for a central perforation adapted to serve as a guide and support for the nail or screw. .l0

In testimony whereof, I affix lny signature.

REN-HIGIENE :comme 

